We cycled around the Singapore city centre with our CarryMe compact folding bikes
Heading out for photoshoots is a major part of our internship at Mighty Velo. I always look forward to our photoshoots because it gives us a chance to head out of the office for a bit of exercise. We even get to explore the country a little, depending on where we decide to hold the shoot.
Last week was one of my fellow intern’s final week at Mighty Velo. We decided to take her out for one last shoot with the CarryMe foldable micro bicycles to commemorate her last week here. Unlike regular product shoots where the team and the photographer focus on the products and the models’ outfits, our photoshoots also require us to plan our route for the most seamless riding experience that will get us to the best locations for the best shots! This time, with the theme being Singapore’s National Day, we decided to showcase our CarryMe micro folding bikes around the city centre of Singapore.
On the day of the shoot, we headed out after grabbing the camera and picking the bike colours that best suit our planned outfits.
From our store at 259 Lavender Street, we cycled to the nearest and most convenient MRT that could lead us straight to our first stop; Marina Bay Sands. It barely took us 15 seconds to unfold the bike and only another 10 minutes to cycle to Bendemeer Station, conveniently located on the Downtown Line.
It’s probably been mentioned countless of times, but thanks to the compact design and the fact that the CarryMe folding bike is so lightweight, we did not have any issues folding the CarryMe micro bike back up and bringing it into the MRT. The CarryMe lightweight compact bike is so astonishingly light that I decided to use the stairs down the MRT station instead, giving myself a little warm-up before cycling around the city. After all, the CarryMe micro bicycle is currently the world’s lightest compact foldable bicycle!
In the train, the folded CarryMe doesn’t occupy a lot of space, taking up a very small footprint. The other two interns and I were seated throughout the ride and we’re able to hug the bike between our knees to keep it from rolling away!
Alighting at Bayfront station, we headed straight into Marina Bay Sands. Quickly, we got changed into our outfits and began our shoot.
We took a glance over our planned route around the city; from Marina Bay Sands we’ll cycle over to the Esplanade before making a pit-stop over at the Merlion. Afterwards, we’ll make a loop back to Marina Bay Sands for a change of outfit before doing our second shoot at Gardens By The Bay, our final stop before heading back.
As soon as we head outdoors, we were greeted by the scorching Singapore heat. “Why out of all the days?” I exclaimed sarcastically, cycling ahead of the pack. The ground smoldered and sent up a disorientating haze as we cycled through the pathways. Even the birds were silent and the grass stood still as if too hot to move. Nevertheless, we pushed on.
I was grateful to be on the bike, trailing around the city. Along the journey we’ve noticed numerous people, mainly tourists going on foot, exploring the city. They were bathed in sweat, many with their faces flushed red.
Okay, weather aside, from a photographer’s point of view, the weather was fantastic for a shoot. The sun was positioned perfectly with not a cloud in sight, lighting up the enthralling Singapore skyline.
In about 15 minutes, we arrived at our first stop, the Esplanade. Over there, we also encountered our first issue while carrying out the shoot. You would think that a Monday afternoon would be great for a day out in the town, but was filled with tourists!
The crowd moved together, with the majority of them either taking photographs of the scenery, or with the scenery. “It’s nearly impossible to go through that and get a good photo,” I mused.
I was surprised that the other two interns remained positive and chose to carry on and cycle through the crowd to find a nice spot with ample lighting and a good angle.
Luckily with the CarryMe folding bike, we’re able to squeeze through the immense crowd without the need to dismount and push the bike. While finding a good spot and carrying out the shoot, I noticed a couple of heads turning towards the CarryMe micro folding bike. Indeed, the bike attracts a lot of attention with its small wheels.
It took us quite a while to finally get lifestyle shots of the bicycle that we’re satisfied with. But, the crowd issue continued when we made our next stop at the Merlion. Being one of Singapore’s iconic attraction and with the folklore surrounding the mythical creature, it is also widely used to represent both the city-state and its people in advertising, branding, tourism, etc. It’s everywhere, basically. Hence, many count the Merlion statue as a must-see tourist site in Singapore.
The number of people flocking around the Merlion was insane! Even under the intense heat, there were many dozens of tourists from all around the world, wanting a picture of and with the Merlion statue.
It took the three of us, with the CarryMe folding bikes, a good 10-minutes under the sun to finally make our way through the crowd with phones and cameras on their hands. With that problem gone came another one, unfortunately.
As we positioned the bicycle for the camera, tourists would pass in front of the camera almost every 5 seconds. Just as one of us was about to snap a picture, someone will happen to inch their way in front of the lens, blocking the shot. We had only a three to five-second window before someone were to walk into our frame. We had to be quick and precise in this location.
But the photography skills of my colleagues never failed to impress. Even under pressure in these conditions, the images still looked fantastic upon our review.
With the shots at the overcrowded Merlion settled, we took a short break under the shade to hydrated ourselves. I treated myself to an ice cream from a nearby stall and it started to melt almost instantaneously!
As I tried my best to stop ranting on and on about the heat, we quickly cycled back to MBS via the Float @ Marina Bay and the Helix Bridge. At this point, we were drained and tired. But on the upside, there was close to no one at the Float. It was just easier to get good shots here than at the over-congested spots we were at earlier on.
Right after that, the three of us quickly rushed into the air-conditioned Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, contented with the outcome of the shots. Folding the CarryMe micro folding bike back up after did not feel like a hassle even though we were tired from the long day out.
We went to grab a quick snack and a couple more bottles of water before changing out into our ‘tourist’ outfits. By then it was half past four and we’re scheduled to be back at MightyVelo before 6.30pm.
With just two hours at out disposal, we unfolded the CarryMe and cycled to our last stop: Gardens By The Bay. From then on, it was a calm ride for our photoshoot.
Arriving at Gardens By The Bay, we barely experienced any issues with the crowd, the environment or the lighting. The sun was going down at that time, so there were just some minor adjustments to do on the camera to improve the lighting and exposure. But besides that, everything went rather well there. We got a lot of decent pictures from this shoot so we decided to call it a day and head back to the store at Lavender Street.
To conclude this entire experience, I would whole-heartedly say that navigating around the streets and the different attractions were much more fun and convenient with the CarryMe folding micro bicycle than it would have been on foot. And at the same time, during that 6km journey around the city, I managed to burn around 900 calories (or so my health app told me!), so it’s definitely a productive way to get around as well!
The CarryMe foldable bicycle is available at our store at 259 Lavender Street and online at www.pacificcarryme.com.